The Famous Rules for Arguing with Tim ...

Australian Foreign Policy and East Timor

Professor Stephen FitzGerald

I was in China when the decision was made to commit Australian troops. I saw the grabs on Chinese and regional television and I was relieved. But concerned. I was relieved because it was right, principled, ethical, humanitarian, and indeed imperative for us to have taken the decision we did. Much of the region was also quietly appalled at what had been happening in East Timor. I was concerned because of the immodest rhetoric issuing from Australia and some chest-thumping bragging from some individuals about our leadership role. While setting out on an essentially humanitarian mission, this seemed to say "Look at me! Look what a good boy am I!" This was also the received communication in Asian countries.

As the educational baby business grows into a $20 billion-a-year industry, some child advocacy groups warn parents to rethink the products and the messages behind the campaigns that targeted infants and toddlers. The American Academy of Pediatrics, which advocates no television for any child under two and suggests limits for older children notes that "there is no current evidence to prove these videos help infants and toddlers in an intellectual or developmental way."

So today I posted an article that was published to main page of Slashdot. Good karma.

I checked up on the article, and saw a lively debate. I quickly posted a question, which was short, to the point, and showed that I didn't understand some basic facts in the article I posted. However, it was modded to +5. Ka-ching karma.

I quickly realised my mistake, and posted a reply to myself. This was also modded to + 5.

As I crossed the German border into Poland yesterday, a thought ocurred to me: If I have entered the Republic of Poland, why are there kings on the bank notes? So I wondered if Poland was the only republic to have monarchy on its currency.The Polish have a certain freedom: without having loyalty to whatever monarch that hereditary genetics has thrown at them, they are free to pick and choose, so there is more than one king on the banknotes, and for sure only the most glorious historical kings need apply. Anyway, Poland is famous for having elected kings .